Contrary to fathers' rights propaganda, father perpetrators (along with stepdads and caretaker boyfrends) dominate the most vicious crimes against children: sexual assault, abusive head trauma, murder-suicides, crimes involving gun violence, and other similar forms of physically violent/fatal child abuse. And as more dads are providing child care (either because mom is working and can't find other care, or because dads are increasingly getting unsupervised visitation/custody through the family courts), more dads are are being found guilty of basic child abuse and neglect as well.

10/25/15 -Because of severe time constraints, we are no longer able to do regular updates at Dastardly Dads. We will occasionally post articles on general studies on child abuse/domestic violence, news pieces involving abusive fathers in custody/visitation situations. We wil also be updating the Killer Dads and Custody lists, while looking for a better, more accessible platform for the data.

7/11/16 - We started this blog on June 24, 2009--just over seven years. And like all good things, it's time to bring this project to a close. It has served its purpose. We have close to 10,500 postings regarding fathers and child abuse, with hundred of those cases being enabled by the family courts, social services, and others in authority. The documentation is clear. It is now time to stop documenting and put that energy into changing the situation that puts thousands of mothers and children at risk every day.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

As I read it, dad AARON SCHAFFHAUSEN sounds like a classic lying deadbeat/sociopath. This is not a case of mental illness. It was an abuser daddy out to punish mom for leaving his lazy ass, and slaughtering three kids was simply a way to hurt her the worst. Fathers rights folks are always whining about how daddies are discriminated against. Baloney. More often than not, we see a mom who accommodated dad's request for visitation like this one did. And with access secured to the kids, the psycho daddy simply murders the kids. Stop the access for these freaks, and you stop the killing. http://news.yahoo.com/sanity-issue-dads-trial-killing-3-girls-163114919.htmlSanity at issue at dad's trial for killing 3 girls

By STEVE KARNOWSKI | Associated Press – 1 hr 33 mins ago

HUDSON, Wis. (AP) — Police found a horrifying scene at the Schaffhausen family home in the western Wisconsin city of River Falls last July: three girls dead in their beds, their throats slashed. In the basement, gasoline was sloshed in a possible attempt to burn down their mother's house.

This week, the girls' father goes on trial to determine whether he was insane at the time. Aaron Schaffhausen last week conceded guilt on three counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one of attempted arson, but maintained that he's not responsible for his actions due to mental illness.

Prosecutors argue Schaffhausen was perfectly aware of what he was doing, and killed 11-year-old Amara, 8-year-old Sophie and 5-year-old Cecilia because he was still bitter about their divorce and furious because he thought she had begun seeing another man. Their evidence, according to a criminal complaint, includes a chilling statement to his ex-wife right after the killings: "You can come home now because I killed the kids."

Jury selection begins Monday in St. Croix County Circuit Court. Trial evidence is expected to include testimony from the girls' mother, Jessica Schaffhausen, and a recording of the 40-minute 911 call she made to police in River Falls, a community of about 15,000 people about 30 miles east of the Twin Cities.

For Schaffhausen, the stakes are likely the difference between spending the rest of his life in prison, if he's judged sane, or being committed to a psychiatric institution from which he might someday be released.

"Our office, as well as the attorney general's office, has put a lot of time into this case, a lot of resources, and I believe we're both prepared," District Attorney Eric Johnson said.

Schaffhausen's public defender, John Kucinski, spent months refusing to concede his client killed the girls. He fought hard in pretrial proceedings to exclude as much damaging evidence as possible, often unsuccessfully, ahead of last week's plea change.

Even though the focus has shifted to Schaffhausen's mental state, the lead prosecutor, Assistant Attorney General Gary Freyberg, said he'll present much of the same evidence he had planned to use to prove guilt because he said it shows Schaffhausen understood what he was doing.

Aaron and Jessica Schaffhausen divorced in January 2011. Court papers indicate their marriage had been rocky for several years, and her mother told police the last straw was when Jessica discovered he was lying about having gone back to school. Her mother told police he either flunked out or dropped out, and kept it secret for several months, until it was too late to get a refund. Jessica and the girls stayed in the house in River Falls. Aaron took a construction job in Minot, N.D.

According to the complaint, Aaron Schaffhausen texted his ex-wife July 10, 2012, to ask for an unscheduled visit with the girls. She consented but said he had to be gone before she got home because she didn't want to see him. The girls' babysitter told investigators the children were excited when he arrived. The babysitter left. He called his wife about two hours later to say he'd killed their children.

Police arrived to find the girls lying in their beds, their blankets pulled up to their necks. White t-shirts were tied around their necks.

"All were found with their throats cut widely and deeply," prosecutors said in court filings. They said the "vast majority" of the blood at the scene was found in Cecilia's room, indicating he killed them there, and then tied the shirts around his girls' necks in an attempt to keep their blood off his own clothes as he carried the other children to their bedrooms. Only Cecilia showed signs of strangulation, they wrote.

Winning with an insanity defense is usually an uphill battle, though the legal test in Wisconsin is somewhat easier than in other states. Wisconsin requires at least 10 of the 12 jurors to find the evidence shows a defendant suffered from a "mental disease or defect" so great at the time that he or she "lacked substantial capacity either to appreciate the wrongfulness of his or her conduct or conform his or her conduct to the requirements of law."

Few details have emerged publicly on Schaffhausen's mental state since the girls were killed. He's been evaluated by experts for the prosecution, the defense and the court. Much of that information remains under seal. In a February filing, prosecutors said the defense had not spelled out Schaffhausen's mental defect or how it affected his actions.

Kucinski offered a hint in pretrial proceedings last week, however, when he said the prosecution expert concluded that Schaffhausen suffers from a "major depressive order." He did not elaborate.

A father was indicted Thursday, accused of causing burns on his 13-month-old son’s face.

A Hamilton County grand jury handed up an indictment against Robert Ushry, 19, of Villages of Roll Hill, formerly Fay Apartments, was indicted for felonious assault and child endangering.

The child was brushing his teeth March 21 when, authorities believe, he didn’t do it correctly, upsetting Ushry. The father then is accused of holding the child’s face, as punishment, under hot, running water long enough to cause second-degree burns on the side of the child’s face.

“They think he did it for at least 25 seconds,” Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor Michael Peck said Thursday. “It’s unbelievable. The whole side of the kid’s face is burned. We think he knew what he was doing.”

The charges against Ushry carry a maximum prison sentence of 19 years in prison.

So UNNAMED DAD abandons his six-year-old son at a fire station, and IT DOESN'T EVEN OCCUR TO ANYONE whether this boy has a mother someplace. Or whether this abandonment was executed with her permission or encouragement. Or whether she knew about it all. Or whether Daddy had pursued and demanded full custody only to hurt mom, and then dumped the kid because he wasn't convenient. How come these questions aren't asked?http://fox4kc.com/2013/03/28/father-who-left-son-6-at-fire-station-likely-to-face-charges/Father who left son, 6, at fire station likely to face charges

Posted on: 7:24 pm, March 28, 2013, by Barrett Tryon

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City police continue to investigate a case of child abandonment after a man dropped off a 6-year-old boy at a fire station earlier this week.

Firefighters say the man claimed to be the boy’s father and told them he could no longer take care of the child.

Under Missouri law, a parent can leave their baby, up to one-year-old, with an on-duty employee at any hospital, fire department, emergency medical worker or law enforcement agency and not face criminal charges.

“I don’t believe he was crying. I think the firefighters went in and got him a soda pop and went out to play basketball for a few minutes while they decided that they were going to take him over to Children’s Mercy,” said Chief Paul Berardi with the Kansas City Fire Department.

At noon on Monday, fire officials say a man showed up with the boy and told firefighters he could no longer take care of him. He then turned around and left.

After being taken to the hospital, firefighters learned Children’s Mercy knew who the boy was. Berardi said firefighters left after turning over custody of the boy to a state social worker.

This is not a case that falls under Missouri’s “Safe Haven” law because of the boy’s age.

“In this case, obviously being 6 years old is outside the safe haven statute. And we should then call the police. In this case we actually took him to the hospital,” Beradi said.

Police say it’s not important to them they were not immediately notified. Police said firefighters did the right thing by taking care of the boy, and detectives are now actively searching for the adult responsible for him.

“No matter what you’d be hard pressed to find any firefighter who would turn a child away and not take care of him. That’s what they did.”

The Missouri Department of Social Services declined to comment on the case saying the law prohibits it.

Krypel, 26, of Norton Shores pleaded as charged Thursday, March 28, to the charge. Muskegon County 14h Circuit Judge Timothy G. Hicks agreed to cap his minimum sentence at three years in prison. The maximum sentence is set by law at 15 years. Sentencing was scheduled for April 29.

Norton Shores police said Krypel injured little Joseph Michael Krypel III early Dec. 30, 2011, in their home in the 3200 block of Victoria Street. The baby at one point stopped breathing, police said. Muskegon County Child Protective Services, alerted by medical personnel at Mercy Health Partners Hackley Campus, called police around 5:30 a.m.

The baby had been taken to Hackley's emergency room with reported dehydration and difficulty breathing, police said. The boy's condition was so severe that he was transported to a Spectrum hospital in Grand Rapids.

Based on doctors' statements and other interviews, the father was charged.

Editor's Note: Some readers may find the contents of this story disturbing

A young man who was raped by his own father said he hopes his father will be haunted for the rest of his life.

"What kind of parent would do something so disgusting to his own child?" the young man said Wednesday in Saskatoon provincial court.

"In my eyes, you're a monster and I hope what you did haunts you to your grave."

The 39-year-old father didn't raise his son, but in September 2009, he was attempting to forge a relationship with him, court heard at his sentencing hearing. The father's name is being withheld because of a publication ban protecting his son's identity.

The two of them agreed to break into some cars to get some money. They used the $15 they stole to buy alcohol, then returned to the father's home to drink. The son, who was 15 at the time, became highly intoxicated. He passed out a number of times and at one point, woke up to find his father, naked, on top of him. The boy was also naked, although he didn't remember taking his clothes off.

The dad told the boy he was going to have sex with him and despite the boy's protests, proceeded to do so.

Crown prosecutor Tamara Rock argued for a penitentiary term of three years, noting the father was in a position of trust.

"What's highly disturbing to the Crown is that (the father) puts blame on the victim, saying he initiated this interaction," Rock said.

"It shows a serious lack of understanding ... and judgment."
Defence lawyer Linda Wood argued for a sentence of two years, followed by probation, noting the father has a history of mental health issues - including paranoid schizophrenia - and it's important that he's supervised in the community when he's released.

The father immediately admitted his guilt when confronted by police after his son reported the incident and pleaded guilty in court, Wood said.

Judge Doug Agnew noted the starting point for sentences for serious sexual assaults in Saskatchewan is three years - and this assault was the "most invasive" type possible, in addition to the father abusing a position of trust.

He sentenced the father to 3½ years in prison, minus a credit of 50 days for remand time.

The father also must submit a sample of his DNA and must comply with the sex-offender registry for 20 years.

COOKEVILLE — A South Carolina man was arrested here on Sunday after allegedly beating his 12-year-old son, according to police.

Robert Jason Lamb, 39, of Thor Road, Pelion, S.C., is charged with aggravated assault in the case, says a warrant taken by Cookeville Police Officer Heather Spolski.

It happened at the Knights Inn on Salem Road, and someone called police to report “a fight” taking place there.

Officer Spolski responded and found a woman and a child in the motel parking lot and a man “walking behind them yelling and cursing at them,” the officer’s report says.

Officer Spolski ordered the man, later identified as Robert Jason Lamb, to “stay right where he was” and she checked to make sure the child “was ok,” the report says.

“The female pointed at the male and stated that he beat and choked the child and had been throwing beer bottles at the child,” the report continues.

“The child was crying and had marks with blood on the right side of his neck and red marks and bruising to the right side of his cheek.”

The boy told the officer that his father had been chasing him, had punched him in the face and had thrown beer bottles at him and choked him.

“He stopped crying and stated that he was not hurting anywhere.”

A warrant the officer later filed alleges that the boy told her his father had “hit him in the face with a closed fist and then grabbed him around the neck choking him and dragged him down the stairs.”

Allegedly, Robert Jason Lamb had placed the child into a vehicle and the child got out “and went to witnesses in the parking lot for help,” the warrant says.

Witnesses confirmed the child’s story, the officer said.

Officer Spolski called in a Department of Children’s Services worker, and she took custody of the child.

Lamb was arrested and booked into the Putnam County jail, where his bond was set at $3,500. He has an April 15 court date.

In another recent case, a Cookeville man was arrested for allegedly threatening a Department of Children’s Services worker and a law officer after the DCS worker came to the man’s residence on a “home visit,” police said.

William Michael Bilyeu Jr., 33, of Edgefield Court, is charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of resisting arrest in the case.

Putnam Sheriff’s Deputy Brandon Masters filed the warrants after responding to the DCS worker’s call to 911 for help on March 19.

Allegedly, Bilyeu had become upset with the DCS worker and grabbed a police baton and threatened the worker with it “and swung it at him numerous times attempting to strike him,” one warrant says.

Then when the deputy arrived, Bilyeu allegedly swung the baton at him too. Deputy Masters said he was forced to Taser Bilyeu to disarm him.

Bilyeu was booked into the Putnam County jail, where his total bond was set at $11,500. He has an April 15 court date.

We now know that was not the case. Deputies believe the shooting actually happened between 5 and 7pm Tuesday night. That means little Davieon was shot in the neck and lay on the ground bleeding all night until deputies found them around noon Wednesday.

"Davieon is paralyzed right now," Sturdivant says. "They're hoping that's temporary. His wound was to his neck, and they said it looked like he was trying to turn and throw his hands up or something."

When Sturdivant looks outside now, it's painful to see all of the signs of Easter -- his happiest memory of Tiffany and 2-year-old Gabrielle. This Easter won't be the same.

"I don't think anybody in our family will be talking about an easter egg hunt," Sturdivant says, "Anything with children."

He hopes little Davieon will push through like the first flowers of spring and will take comfort in the warmth of the family he still has left.

The father of a 2-year-old child was charged with one count of third-degree assault of a child after a local physician discovered a lesion on the face and bruises on the neck.

Sean Skyler Surratt, 25, was charged in Kitsap County District Court on March 19 after he was arrested one day earlier by Port Orchard police.

According to charging documents, Child Protective Services was notified by a local doctor who examined the boy on March 13. The boy’s mother took the child to a local clinic after she found bruising on the neck and spots on the left cheek.

The mother reported the child was in Surratt’s care from March 12 to March 13. When she picked him up, Surratt said the boy had been sick and vomiting, and that was why he was bruised and had marks on his face.

The doctor found petechia on the left side of the boy’s face and bruises on the left side of the neck. Petechia is red or purple spots on the body caused by minor hemorrhage, stated court documents.

CPS took the boy into custody and police contacted a forensic pathologist, who stated the petechia on the face and neck are consistent with external neck compression.
Court documents stated Surratt denied grabbing his son and told investigators the marks were caused by vomiting.

Surratt was booked into the Kitsap County Jail and bond was set at $50,000.

If convicted, Surratt could receive a maximum of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Dad is identified as BRADLEY W. SIMMONS. Notice the subtle reference to "his residence" (as in Dad's residence) and that there is no mention of a mother. Was this a custody/visitation situation with a newborn?

Richard Leak of New Rochelle was convicted Monday of killing his 2-year-old son.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- A New Rochelle man faces 25 years in prison after he was found guilty Monday of killing his 2-year-old son in 2011.

Richard “Ricky” Leak, 32, was found guilty of first-degree manslaughter, a felony, according to Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore.

Leak was arrested and charged with the January 2011 death of his son, Khalil Leak. According to the district attorney's office, Richard Leak called his live-in girlfriend Jan. 9, 2011 to say the infant boy was not breathing. The girlfriend called a downstairs neighbor and asked her to check on the child, officials said.

The neighbor went upstairs and called 911 after she found Khalil unresponsive in his father's apartment.

The child was taken to Sound Shore Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about one hour later.

Police investigated the death and arrested Richard Leak three days later, officials said.

“Extensive case and forensic pathology work by both the New Rochelle Police Department and the Westchester County Medical Examiner were instrumental in convicting this defendant," DiFiore said in a statement. "The severity of the abuse, along with multiple and conflicting stories as to how the child sustained the fatal injuries, belied the defendant’s protestations that the death was just 'an accident.'"

A Flagstaff father will spend 10 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing his 11-year-old daughter.

The 40-year-old man took a plea deal to one count of continuous sexual abuse with a child, a class 2 felony and dangerous crime against a child.

"The state can prove it and the plea was offered merely to avoid putting the victim through trial," said Jonathan Mosher, senior trial deputy for the Coconino County Attorney's Office. He added that the victim had been severely traumatized by what happened to her and said the girl's mother, as well as prosecutors, did not want to hinder the victim's psychological recovery.

The charges came when the girl told school counselors that her father had been molesting her. Through interviews, investigators found enough evidence to arrest the man.

Additional evidence was seized in a search warrant served on the man's house.

Coconino County Superior Court Division 2 Judge Dan Slayton gave the man the presumptive sentence of 10 years. The man's attorney had asked for a mitigated sentence and said his client has significant family support and no felony criminal history.

Slayton's sentencing also requires that the man register as a sex offender for the rest of his natural life.

The defendant's name has been withheld from this story to protect the privacy of his daughter.

Chandigarh: Suresh Kumar, father of the 7-year-old Colony Number 4 girl was remanded in judicial custody by the UT Police on Tuesday with added charges of rape after being arrested by the UT Police on Monday. The accused had allegedly raped his daughter on Sunday.

DSP Vijay Kumar said that the medico-legal report (MLR) had confirmed rape. The accused has been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012.

The girl was reportedly recovered from a forest, after she went missing from her residence on Sunday. She was later taken to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32.

Suresh Kumar had allegedly committed the crime after taking his daughter to the forest while everyone in the family was asleep. It was only when the mother raised the alarm when she found her daughter missing that a search began and the child was recovered.

Bond has been set at 10 percent of $70,000 for a Gering man who is charged with child abuse and possession of methamphetamine.

30-year-old Adam Elwess is accused of assaulting his 5 and 7 year old children.

On Monday, Detective James Jackson was called to the children's school because Elwess' 5 year old son had scratch marks on his chin and face. The child told school officials that his father kicked him from behind and that he fell into a chair and the ground.

Elwess' 7 year old daughter says that her father grabbed her by the throat and picked her up off the ground.

Police went to Elwess' home, and also found methamphetamine.

Elwess is charged with two counts of child abuse, and one count of a controlled substance (methamphetamine).

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Wonder if this is another one of those Florida custody/visitation situations. Notice that there is no mention of a mother in the home, and that the kids are now in DCF custody. What happened to Mom?Dad is identified as JOSEPH KINARY. http://www.abc-7.com/story/21789864/father-of-3-accused-of-neglectFather of 3 accused of neglect

Posted: Mar 25, 2013 6:42 PM EDT

Updated: Mar 25, 2013 6:42 PM EDT
By Meaghan Smith, Reporter

FORT MYERS, FL -
Large knives, a bottle of brake fluid and garbage were all allegedly within reach of a baby, a toddler and another young child.

The bizarre discovery happened Saturday afternoon by someone at the community pool of the family's Gulfstream Isles apartment complex.

That person told Fort Myers Police that up on the 3rd floor unit they saw a small child with a large butcher knife cutting the screen to an open window, and then hanging out of it.

Cops rushed to the scene and saw the kids standing at the window.

"Saturday afternoon I was walking down the steps when the police officer came running up," said neighbor Curtis Presch.

Neighbors watched as police pounded on the apartment door several times.

Finally, they say the kids' father, Joseph Kinary, opened the door.

That's when officers reported finding the home in total disarray with food and trash scattered everywhere, along with clutter and garbage.

And police say they found a 6-month-old baby girl lying on the carpet on her back surrounded by filth.

She, along with her 2-year-old brother and 5-year-old sister were taken into DCF custody and their father arrested.

Officers also say they discovered large knives, one with an 8-inch serrated blade and brake fluid all within the kids' reach.

"That child needs to be safe- not to be with someone like that- that child needs care, needs to be looked after. a kid should not have to go through that sort of thing," said neighbor Michelle Cunningham.

Police say Kinary told them he'd fallen asleep on the couch because he was tired from working. He's now facing a felony charge.

Boardman police are investigating the injury of a 3-month-old boy that occurred Saturday at the child’s home.

Police were dispatched to Akron Children’s Hospital on Market Street about 7:30 p.m. after a hospital social worker told them a man brought his infant son in for injuries about 2 p.m. that day.

The baby was unconscious and not breathing when upon arrival at the hospital, and hospital personnel administered CPR.

The father told hospital staff that the child was asleep on the couch at the Meadowbrook Avenue home when the family dog jumped on the couch. The father said he removed the dog from the couch and the baby fell to the carpeted floor, losing consciousness.

The father took the baby to the hospital, and the baby’s mother, who wasn’t home when the injury occurred, also arrived at Akron Children’s.

A CAT scan showed nine rib fractures as well as “multiple brain bleeds which appeared to be from previous injuries,” according to a police report.

“Hospital staff stated the severity of the child’s injuries made it highly unlikely to have occurred from falling off a couch,” the report said.

The hospital also contacted Mahoning County Children’s Services.

The baby boy was taken by helicopter to Akron Children’s Hospital in Akron where he was being treated in the intensive-care unit.

Hmm. Is this a custody/visitation situation? Was dad CURTIS LEE LARMORE just granted shared custody this year?Notice the following:1) All this started in January, and happened EVERY OTHER WEEK.2) During these weeks, Daddy left this little girl home every day between 11 AM and 7 PM.2) There is no mention of a mother in the home. If there had been one, she no doubt would have been charged as well. 4) Notice that this little girl is now in the "custody of relatives." So what happened to Mom? As usual, the reporting is incomplete and sketchy. http://www.imperfectparent.com/topics/2013/03/26/father-accused-of-leaving-4-year-old-home-while-he-worked/Father accused of leaving 4-year-old home while he worked

March 26th, 2013

by Stella Martin

A Port St. Lucie, Fla., man was arrested on Monday after a tipster notified the police that the man was leaving his 4-year-old daughter at home alone all day.

Port St. Lucie police say Curtis Lee Larmore, 26, was allegedly leaving his preschool daughter home alone to fend for herself, Monday through Friday, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m..

The tipster told police that the father had been leaving the youngster by herself since January, every other week.

The police report also noted that when officers investigated the home, the house was filthy and had strong cat urine odor. Police say the family cat used the little girl’s closet as a litter box. The child also had access to dangerous items, including a knife, scissors, a small torch — all within reach of the girl. The home also had an outdoor pool which was full of water and was not secured and the doors weren’t locked.

The little girl has since been turned over to the custody of relatives while Larmore faces charges of child abuse and child endangerment.

Mark Lackenby had bet on outcome of match against Barcelona
When game did not go his way he shook baby Ruby 'violently'
Ruby suffered 'catastrophic' brain injuries after 'nasty break of temper'
Lackenby was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter
The 32-year-old was jailed for ten years at Sheffield Crown Court today

By Kerry Mcdermott

PUBLISHED:12:24 EST, 26 March 2013| UPDATED: 14:00 EST, 26 March 2013

An enraged father who violently shook and killed his newborn baby daughter after losing a bet on a football match has been jailed for 10 years.

Mark Lackenby, 32, was watching Arsenal's Champions League clash with Barcelona on TV with five-week-old Ruby last year, when he snapped after Barcelona's David Villa scored the first goal of the match.

Furious Lackenby - who had backed Arsenal's Robin van Persie to score first - shook his baby daughter causing 'catastrophic' brain injuries. She died the following day, a trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Lackenby was today cleared of murdering his daughter at their home in Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire, but was found guilty of her manslaughter by a jury.

He was also found guilty of causing Ruby grievous bodily harm when he broke her ribs a week or so before he inflicted the fatal injuries.

Lackenby, now of Bolton-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire, was in tears as the judge described what had happened when he was left alone with his daughter as he watched the match while her mother Gemma Coates was upstairs having a bath.

He had denied hurting Ruby.

The court was told Lackenby bet £2.50 at odds of 70-1 on Robin van Persie to score the first goal for Arsenal and Arsenal to win the match 2-1.

He stood to win £200 but when Villa scored Ruby cried and Lackenby lost his temper.

Sentencing Lackenby, the judge, Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, told him: 'It's frankly despicable and defies belief that anyone could do such a thing to their own baby in such circumstances.'

The judge said to Lackenby: 'That evening you badly lost your temper with this tiny baby and the football simultaneously.

'You settled down to watch this football match. At 8.11pm that evening David Villa, a Barcelona player, scored the first goal.

'At around that time Ruby was heard to cry.

'It's abundantly clear that at that moment you shook her violently causing catastrophic brain and nerve injuries which led her to collapse very quickly.

'Despite the best efforts of the paramedics who were on the scene very, very quickly and the marvellous care and attention by the various doctors who attended to Ruby at Barnsley and then Sheffield Children's Hospital, sadly Ruby's life support machine had to be switched off 24 hours later.'

The judge said that despite witnesses saying Lackenby - who has three other children from a previous relationship - was a loving and caring father, there was evidence he had harmed baby Ruby on other occasions.

He said the tragic incident 'was the result of a nasty outbreak of temper on your part and that it was a growing pattern of abusive behaviour by you towards your daughter, Ruby'.

The judge told him: 'It's a mystery to some extent as to what did or could have caused you to be so cruel to Ruby.

'Was it one child too many?

'Was it too many responsibilities?

'Was it the break-up of one relationship and the beginning of another?

'Whatever the reason, cruel you were to Ruby on several occasions.'

And he told Lackenby he had to 'bear the guilt and the loss of your own child at your own hand'.

Lackenby wiped tears away a number of times during the judge's remarks.

After he stood and was sentenced to 10 years in prison he shook his head slightly but then thanked the judge as he was led away.

Coates, 31, a former nursery worker, of the same address, was cleared by the jury of attempting to pervert the course of justice by giving a false account to medical staff as to how Ruby came about her injuries. She left the dock in tears.

'He came home to his tea on the table, beers in the fridge and a football match on the television. He'd bet on the football and stood to win if the match went his way.

'Ruby, his five week old daughter, was next to him on the sofa whilst her mother Gemma went in the bath.

'When a goal was scored against Mark's team, we believe he lost his temper and lashed out at Ruby.

'We don't know specifically what happened to Ruby but we do know that it resulted in a brain injury which led to her death.

'Mark had an opportunity to help her. When paramedics arrived they needed a true account of what happened to Ruby so they could offer her the best possible treatment.

'Mark lied to the paramedics and claimed Ruby had just stopped breathing.

'We can only hope that today's outcome offers some comfort to those who loved her,' said Ms Steeples.

Detective chief inspector Sean Middleton, the senior investigating officer from South Yorkshire Police, said: 'This is a tragic case which must have caused a great deal of anguish for the extended family of Ruby and has greatly affected the community of Goldthorpe.

'I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Goldthorpe community for helping us.'

SPARKS -- A man is in jail and has been charged with beating and ultimately murdering his 5-month old baby.

On March 21, 2013 at around 8:15 p.m. officers of the Sparks Police Department responded to the report of an infant not breathing at an apartment in the complex of 1877 El Rancho Blvd in Sparks.

Upon arrival officers found a five month old infant unresponsive but with no obvious signs of trauma. Life saving efforts had already been initiated by family members and were continued when rescue personnel arrived. The infant was transported to Renown Medical Center for treatment. Officers at the scene continued to investigate the circumstances surrounding the infant's condition.

The investigation indicated the infant's natural father, Roberto Diaz-Tenorio, had been caring for his son when his son suddenly lapsed into unconsciousness after he had changed his son's diaper. Diaz-Tenorio had another family member contact his wife, who is also the infant's mother, who was away at the time. Diaz-Tenorio's wife returned to the apartment and 911 was called.

At the hospital the infant was found to have several internal injuries consistent with child abuse. The infant had significant brain hemorrhaging and fractures of the ribs.

Multiple interviews were completed including the victim's father Roberto Diaz-Tenorio. Probable cause was developed to arrest Diaz-Tenorio for Child Abuse Causing Substantial Body Harm. On March 22, 2013 Diaz-Tenorio was booked into the Washoe County Detention Facility on that charge.

The infant's condition continued to deteriorate and on March 23, 2013 the infant was pronounced dead at the hopital.

The continuing investigation indicates Roberto Diaz-Tenorio inflicted the injury that caused the death of his son. Roberto Diaz-Tenorio is still in custody at the Washoe County Detection Facility. His charge is being amended to Open Murder.

A 3-year-old girl whose death Friday was ruled a homicide had been in the care of her father at the family's Hurst apartment, but no one has been arrested, Hurst police said Sunday.

The child's mother was not in the apartment when the child died, police said.

"We're still in the interviewing process," Hurst Assistant Police Chief Richard Winstanley said Sunday. "There are indications of prior bruising before she was found Friday."

Officials with Child Protective Services also are investigating.

"There is no record of previous contact with the family," CPS spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales said Sunday. "There are no other children in the home."

Winstanley said that detectives are interviewing friends, family members and doctors involved in the case.

"We're also checking in with prosecutors in the Tarrant County district attorney's office," Winstanley said.

Winstanley said that he wasn't aware of any previous calls in which Hurst officers responded to the couple's home, where 3-year-old Anastasia Williams lived.

She was pronounced dead at 3:23 p.m. Friday from a laceration of the liver due to blunt trauma to the abdomen caused by an assault, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's website, which termed her death a homicide.

Anastasia was found in her bedroom in the 800 block of Cullum Court off Precinct Line Road north of Texas 10 in Hurst.

That afternoon, Anastasia's father alerted a neighbor that his daughter was not breathing, and seconds later police received a 911 call.

Winstanley said Sunday that the department is attempting to connect the family with resources to assist them with Anastasia's funeral.

PETERSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A central Pennsylvania father shot and killed his 2-year-old son and wounded his estranged wife during a custody exchange before killing himself, authorities said.

Police said Kenneth Ayers also shot at his mother during the altercation Saturday morning at her home in a rural area about 20 miles southwest of State College.

Huntingdon County District Attorney George Zanic said Ayers, 52, was subject to a protection from abuse order filed by his wife but was permitted visits with his son, Michael.

Saturday’s visit was to happen at his mother’s home in Barree Township. But once at the home, Ayers got into an altercation with his estranged wife, Hollie Jo, and shot her in the legs and arm with a .40 caliber handgun before intentionally shooting his son, police said.

Kenneth Ayers placed the child’s body in the back of his vehicle but the wounded woman retrieved the body before Ayers shot her again in the face, police said. He also fired at his mother but missed.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Dad ROBERT HOHN is obviously a custodial dad, as you can't lock up a kid and starve them in a joint custody situation--at least not very easily. Notice that there is NO mention of this boy's mother or what happened to her. Is she alive, dead, "disappeared"? It is very important to follow up on the "missing" mothers in these stories, as abusive fathers are typically violent control freak partners as well. Seems I'm seeing a lot of cases recently of custodial fathers veering from abuse into bonafide torture--starvation/malnutrition, imprisonment, systematic beatings, etc. I suspect that this reflects more abusive fathers getting and obtaining full custody, with no accountability for their conduct. http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2013/03/20/newark-father-stepmother-indicted-for-child-abuse/Newark Father, Stepmother Indicted For Child Abuse

March 20, 2013 3:15 PM

WILMINGTON, Del. (CBS) – A Newark couple was indicted on Wednesday for charges relating to the abuse and neglect of their 12-year-old son (see related story).

The indictment charges 42-year-old Robert Hohn and 40-year old Shannon Watterson with Child Abuse, Conspiracy, Unlawful Imprisonment, and Endangering the Welfare of a Child.

Authorities say Hohn and Watterson were arrested and charged in November 2012 after a police investigation revealed that their 12-year-old son had been physically abused and become malnourished while allegedly being locking in a bedroom of the family’s home.

The police investigation was initiated after the victim escaped from his home and went a neighbor’s house, who contacted police.

Attorney General Beau Biden noted in a statement on Wednesday that this case represents the first arrests made under Delaware’s new child abuse statute.

“Fortunately, our new child abuse statute is a powerful tool that we have used in this case and will continue to use to hold offenders accountable and better protect kids,” said Biden.

Hohn and Watterson have been incarcerated in lieu of $282,500 cash bail since their arrest.

As he did through much of his first-degree murder trial, John Wesley French Jr. stared off into the distance as a guilty verdict was reached for each of his three charges stemming from the death of his daughter.

French, 34, was immediately sentenced to life in prison without parole, a mandatory term for the first-degree murder charge.

"It's justice. It's justice," said Lacie Fernandez, mother of 8-year-old Desirea French, whose lifeless body was found April 10, 2011, by her grandfather in the home he shared with Desirea and her father.

"They got justice for Des and that's all I wanted," Fernandez said.

The jury of nine women and three men took less than three hours Wednesday morning to reach their decision.

French was convicted on two separate counts of first-degree murder, one was after deliberation and the other was for knowingly causing the death of a child under the age of 12.

He also was convicted of child abuse resulting in death.

French's attorneys, Public Defenders Suzanne Reynolds and Albert Singleton, didn't dispute that French killed his daughter, but argued that it was an accident and French's attempt at suicide was a grief-stricken response to what had happened in the home.

But prosecutors Karl Kuenhold and Stephen Talbot argued that French planned to kill himself that day and couldn't bear the thought of leaving his daughter behind.

The trial's closing arguments on Tuesday revolved around differing interpretations of blood patterns at the crime scene and what caused a wound to French's hand that had what appeared to be his daughter's hair in it.

In pronouncing his sentence to French, District Judge Victor Reyes referred back to those arguments.

"I don't think anyone would disagree that what happened was nothing but a tragedy," he said. "Only you know what happened that day. It's just very sad."

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Let's see now. Dad ANTWONE RATTER has a previous CONVICTION for child abuse. The mother of these two children is either divorced or separated from him. And yet he has weekend visitation?Notice that we are NOT told how this weekend visitation came about, but somehow I suspect it was not Mom's idea. This suggests that it was very likely court-ordered, through the reporter does not explore that angle.Too bad. What we need to know here is why this f**k up was allowed around children again, when he is really a pretty sick puppy. The Geneva Convention bans this kind of treatment for prisoners of war, and yet we think it's just dandy to inflict binding, gagging, and beatings on children in the name of fathers rights?If this was court-ordered, I WANT TO SEE THE JUDGE'S NAME.http://www.pe.com/local-news/san-bernardino-county/san-bernardino-county-headlines-index/20130320-highland-father-accused-of-torturing-children-for-misbehaving.eceHIGHLAND: Dad accused of torturing kids for misbehaving

BY JOHN ASBURY |
STAFF WRITER |
March 20, 2013; 09:13 AM |

A Highland man with a criminal history of child abuse was arrested after his young children accused him of torturing them for misbehaving.

A woman took her 5-year-old daughter to the Highland police station Monday, March 18, after finding bruising on the girl’s back, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said in a news release.

The girl had spent the weekend with her biological father, Antwone Ratter, 26. She told police he had beaten her for misbehaving.

The girl “described cruel and unusual physical extremes that Rattler subjected her to on an almost daily basis,” sheriff’s officials said. “She described how she was bound and gagged, and forced into physically exhausting positions for extended periods of time.”

The girl’s 9-year-old bother was later taken from the home and told police he was given similar beatings and punishments.

Sheriff’s detectives reached Wednesday declined to elaborate on the abuse or explain the types of punishments.

Ratter was arrested on suspicion of child abuse and torture and booked at the West Valley Detention Center, where bail was set at $500,000. As of Wednesday morning, online court records did not show he had been charged.

Hard questions are being asked in Springdale, Washington County, after a 24-year-old father appeared in court today charged with the violent murders of his two infant sons - 18-months apart.

Travis Fox admitted to police in the Arkansas city that last week he shook his seven-month old son William to death after consuming five beers on Wednesday and then confessed to killing his son Travis Fox II the exact same way in 2011 after a tequila binge.

And despite his fiancee's shock at his admission, it has emerged that Washington County sheriff's suspected him of murdering his first child as did the couple's church pastor - but no charges were pressed and he was allowed to return home to ultimately kill again.

Seven month-old William Fox, died at Northwest Medical Center from injuries as a result of being violently shaken in his parents home on Wednesday last week.

Questioned by Springdale police, immediately after, Fox told investigators 'that he violently shook the child for an extended amount of time because the child was `fussing,' said officers in a news release.

'He demonstrated the shake and it was violent,' said officials, who added that Fox said he had been heavily drinking before shaking his infant son to death.

While Springdale police officers were investigating the death they learned Fox was already under investigation by Washington County sheriff's for the death of his other son Travis II 18 months ago.

Travis II died from 'suspicious' injuries in September 2011.

An autopsy was inconclusive and Fox was never charged with any crime - despite the strong suspicion of the Washington County Coroner.

Indeed, after the death of his latest son, the coroner remembered Fox and contacted police.

In addition, the Foxes pastor, Tim Estes admitted to 40/29 News in Arkansas that after the memorial service for the couple's first child, he felt uneasy about the circumstances.

'I have to tell you some alarm bells went off in my mind when the first baby was brought in. Something felt uneasy in my spirit,' said Estes.

But in the aftermath of the terrible crimes against two defenseless children, hindsight is proving no help for those who knew Travis Fox.

Estes told 40/29 that Fox had been known to suffer from drug and anger issues and he had tried to help him as a youth.

Neighbors also said that they sometimes heard the Foxes argue. Angela Robison who lived in the same Olivewood Apartments as the Foxes said she would hear him argue with his wife Tiffany - who is currently pregnant with twins.
Family home: Travis lived at his Springdale, Arkansas, home with his wife Tiffany and their sons,

'She would say ‘he hit me’ and he would say ‘I didn’t,’ said Robinson to 5newsonline.

'I would tell him ‘come to my house before you hit her, come down and talk to me’ because we were close.'

'Just, poor babies and I don’t understand how he could do it. I know he admitted it but still hard to actually think of him because he wasn’t like that.

'My kids picked on him and played around with him and he never got mad.'

His wife has claimed she knew never saw this coming and has disowned her husband, labeling him a 'baby killer'.

Incredibly, having escaped punishment for the murder of his first son, Fox and Tiffany had an falling out around a year-ago and he begged his wife to let him come home.

Judging by the dates on his wife's myspace.com page where he posted his apology, Tiffany would have been four-months pregnant with William.

'I miss him so much thats (sic) also my son,' wrote Fox. 'I love the hell out of him. Babygurl I love u (sic) so much too.'

It was while being questioned, Fox allegedly confessed to killing both his children.

He told investigators his first child died after he shook him for 30-45 seconds.

'Mr. Fox said he was angered and tired because he was up for two days without sleep,' a prosecutor wrote in his report.

The report says Fox told the investigator that he admitted drinking tequila the day of the first death and that he'd tossed the child on a chair.

Travis Fox faces two counts of first-degree murder. It is unclear whether Fox has an attorney. He s being held without bond at the Washington County Jail.

Fox also faces a charge of probation violation.

According to court documents, he was sentenced to five years probation in 2009 after pleading guilty to residential burglary and several other theft-related charges.

Fox will not be formally charged until his arraignment on April 17 and A funeral for William Fox is being planned at Wasson Funeral Home in Siloam Springs.

Today in terrible parenting news, we bring you the case of Matthew Barnett, a 24-year-old Granite City father who, police say, badly injured his six-month-old child.

On Friday at around 1:40 a.m, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services alerted the Madison County Sheriff's Office to a child being treated for trauma at a St. Louis area hospital. The infant had suffered multiple leg fractures and bruising to his body -- and an investigation, officials say, revealed the father was responsible.

Why? Apparently the baby was crying.

Authorities met with the father and mother of the infant as part of an investigation that revealed "Barnett forcefully tugged at the child's legs while the child was crying, which caused the fractures," the Madison County Sheriff's Office says in its announcement yesterday of his arrest.

Officials say that incident happened on Tuesday, a week ago, when the father was reportedly alone with the child.

The infant, however, was not taken to the hospital until the early morning hours of March 15 -- several days later.

The dad, charged with aggravated battery of a child, was taken into custody after the investigation and was detained in a Madison County jail pending a formal review. Bond was set at $100,000.

Meanwhile the child was placed in protective custody by the Illinois Children and Family Services Department. The infant currently remains in the care of the hospital and is expected to recover from the injuries.
Madison County Sheriff's Office

Here's the full announcement from Madison County:

The following individual was charged today in Madison County Circuit Court with a felony charge of AGGRAVATED BATTERY OF A CHILD:

On Friday, March 15, 2013, at approximately 1:40 a.m., the Madison County Sheriff's Office was advised by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (D.C.F.S.) that a six month old child, from Madison County, was being treated for non accidental trauma at a St. Louis area hospital. Investigators with the Sheriff's Office responded to the hospital and conducted an investigation.

Investigators determined the child was being treated for multiple leg fractures and bruising to his body. Investigators met with and interviewed the parents of the child. The investigation revealed that the child's father, Matthew E. Barnett was responsible for fractures to his son's legs.

The injuries reportedly occurred during the afternoon hours of Tuesday, March 12, 2013, while Barnett was alone with the child. The investigation revealed Barnett forcefully tugged at the child's legs while the child was crying, which caused the fractures.

The child was not taken to the hospital until the early morning hours of March 15, 2013, where the injuries were discovered. Investigators found no evidence linking the mother to the injuries.

Barnett was taken into custody during the early morning hours of Friday, March 15, 2013. Barnett was detained in the Madison County Jail pending a formal review of facts by the Madison County States Attorney's Office.

The child was placed in protective custody by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Service. The child remains in the care of a St. Louis area hospital and is expected to recover from the injuries.

The warrant and information were issued by the Honorable Judge James Hackett. Bond was set at $100,000.00.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A father will spend the rest of his life in prison for murdering his young son, but will not face death row.

A jury decided Andre Hampton's fate Tuesday after about 16 hours of deliberations spanning three days. The same jury convicted Hampton of abuse and murder by torture in the death of his 23-month-old son Elijah Burger.

Hampton beat Burger to death with a belt, toothbrush and hairbrush. Some investigators call it the worst murder they've ever seen in Mecklenburg County.

"It was a family tragedy that Elijah Burger died and the verdict speaks with compassion," said attorney Norman Butler, who represented Hampton.

"We respect their decision, we respect the process they followed to do it and we respect the system of laws that allowed them to do it," said Assistant District Attorney Bill Stetzer after the jury rendered the verdict.

Prosecutors offered Hampton life in prison but Hampton and his attorneys chose to go to trial.

Hampton spoke after learning his fate and told courtroom there are no words to describe how sorry he is. Hampton also thanked the prosecutors because their case showed how much they cared about Elijah.

"I appreciate those words and he'll never be free to hurt another child, and that gives us some solace," Stetzer said.

Jurors left the courthouse escorted by deputies and did not explain their verdict.

Hampton's mother April Gadson gave NBC Charlotte this statement:

"To God be all the glory! I am relieved that the jury saw fit to save my son's life. I am very thankful. I tried to raise my children in a way that they would not have had a fate such as this. But God is always in control. We loved Elijah and will go forth as a family to make sure that we as well as other people will be educated to break the cycle of abuse."

The trial and sentencing was flat-out gut wrenching, from the testimony to the pictures.

Most if not all the jurors, as well as others in the courtroom, cried when it was over.

Suva High Court Judge, Justice Salesi Temo has sentenced a man to 17 years imprisonment for raping his daughter.

In his ruling, Justice Temo described the case as the worst parental abuse case that he has come across in the 19-years that he has served on the bench.

Justice Temo also said the sentence should serve as a warning to fathers who want to abuse their daughters in the way the accused did.

The 37-year old father of three children was found guilty of five counts of rape and two of indecent assault.

The man whose name has been permanently suppressed systematically indecently assaulted and raped his daughter from 2004 to November 2011.

Justice Temo told the accused that he unashamedly committed these crimes in the comforts of his own home, mostly in his daughter’s bedroom.

The rapes stopped when the daughter was found to be suffering from cancer and that she was 20-weeks pregnant, carrying her own father’s child in 2011.

It was then with support from the mother and doctors, that the matter was reported to the police.

The court heard the accused has three children aged between four years and 16 years.
He also apologised to his wife, children, family and the court.
The court has ordered a non-parole period of 16-years imprisonment.

WILMINGTON -
Police say a father drove his six-year-old child on the back of a motorcycle from Jacksonville to Wilmington and then passed out while leaving his child to play in a parking lot.

Wilmington Police say they found the child at 8:48 Monday night in the parking lot outside of the Dollar Store on College Road in Wilmington. Witnesses told the officers the six-year-old child had been left in the parking lot and had been playing with toy cars for several hours.

While attempting to locate a parent, officers found Jonathan Curtman, the child’s biological father, passed out in some nearby bushes. Officers say they also located two packets of “Spice” in Curtman’s pockets.

The investigation revealed Curtman, 28, had brought the child from Jacksonville to Wilmington on the back of his motorcycle. He apparently bought some toy cars at the store and told the child to play on the ground behind the parked motorcycle. Curtman then went over to the bushes and passed out.

Curtman was arrested for child abuse and placed under a $5,000 secure bond. He remains in custody as of Tuesday afternoon. The child was released to the custody of the child’s mother.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Once again, it appears we have one of those classic deadbeat, lying daddies (also known in polite terms as "stay-at-home" fathers) who busy snoozing while Mom was working.And given that mothers must be punished and held accountable for what fathers do (though fathers are seldom held accountable for what mothers do), SHE has lost custody to the Department of Social Services because she "involved" Daddy. Just like mothers are told they must do by the Department of Social Services. Can't win for losing.Dad is identified as TRIEQUOMY BROWN.

CLARENDON COUNTY, SC (WIS) -
The father of a toddler found wandering on a busy road in a dirty diaper Saturday morning is being held on $50,000 bond and has been ordered to stay away from his son.

Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett says a woman driving to work at a bank on Highway 261 near Manning found the 2 1/2-year-old boy wearing a tee-shirt, soiled diaper and shoes walking on the road at about 9 a.m. She picked him up and called 9-1-1.

Deputies took the boy door-to-door in the neighborhood trying to locate his family, but nobody recognized him.

Sheriff Garrett says nobody filed a missing child report and the child went unclaimed for more than three hours. At about 12:30 p.m., the Sheriff says a man claiming to be the boy's father went to the Sheriff's Office to pick up the child along with another man.

After he failed to answer certain questions regarding the boy, deputies determined that 17-year-old Nakeius Robinson was not the boy's father, and Robinson admitted the boy's father was his companion, who was waiting in the lobby. Robinson was charged with providing false information. He is a nephew of the boy's mother.

Garrett said deputies discovered that the father, Triequomy Brown, was wanted on a warrant for a traffic violation.

Sheriff Garrett said the boy was identified as Triquan Brown. Investigators determined the boy was found on the four-lane highway about 200 yards from the Forest Villa apartment complex where his father lived.

Brown was taken into custody on a charge of child neglect and providing false information to law enforcement. At a bond hearing Sunday, the judge ordered Brown held on $50,000 bond.

Robinson was released on $1,500 personal recognizance bond.

In court, both men admitted to lying to investigators about their identities. Robinson admitted his guilt in court.

"I'm not here to try you," the judge told him. "I'm just here to set your bond, okay?"

Major Kip Coker with the Sheriff's Office says Brown told investigators he fell asleep at about 7 a.m. Saturday and when he woke up, the boy was gone.

"It could have been a lot worse," says Coker. "A few minutes more, the child would have been in the middle of Highway 261 where there was a lot of traffic and possibly gotten hit."

Sheriff Garrett says they located the boy's mother, who was questioned by the Department of Social Services. Garrett said she was working at the time the boy wandered away and the boy's father was supposed to be taking care of him.

When Brown asked the judge how long he had to stay away from his son, the judge told him, "Until this has gone to court."

GADSDEN, Ala. (WBMA) - The man accused of killing his 20-month-old daughter is set to appear in court next month.

Stephon Lindsay, 35, will have a court appearance April 11th for a preliminary hearing before Etowah County District Judge Will H. Clay. The court has appointed attorneys for Lindsay.

Lindsay was arrested Tuesday night after an investigation began into the disappearance of 20-month-old Maliyah Lindsay. Maliyah's body was discovered off a dead-end road. Her father was charged with capital murder.

The child's family held a funeral Saturday afternoon in Gadsden. They tell ABC 33/40 they believe the murder was part of a religious sacrifice. Police have not yet released a motive.

ATLANTA (AP) - Georgia's highest court has upheld the conviction and life prison sentence given to a father accused of beating his 4-year-old son to death in Twiggs County.

The Supreme Court of Georgia on Monday announced the unanimous ruling involving defendant Kelcey Jones.

An autopsy had found that Jones' 4-year-old son Joshua died of blows to the head and abdomen in September 2003. The boy's mother, who had separated from Jones earlier, said the child had been spending the weekend with his father when the beating occurred.

Kelcey Jones was sentenced in Twiggs County to life in prison for murder and an additional 20 years for first-degree cruelty to a child.

Jones appealed the conviction, but the state Supreme Court rejected most of the arguments made by his lawyers.

NATIONAL CITY — The father of a 5-month-old was arrested on child abuse charges Friday in National City after doctors found the baby had fractured ribs and bleeding on the brain.

Paramedics were called to the baby’s home on D Avenue near East 24th Street Wednesday about 10:20 p.m. after someone reported the child was having difficulty breathing and could possibly be having a seizure, National City police said.

The infant was taken to Rady Children’s Hospital where doctors found multiple rib fractures, a recent injury causing bleeding on the brain as well as an old injury that also caused bleeding, police said.

National City police returned to the home on Friday, interviewed the parents and took the child’s father into custody. He was booked into county jail on felony child abuse charges, police said.

Chad Chritton, whose 15-year-old daughter told authorities she was starved, abused and confined to a basement, was convicted Friday night of felony child neglect after 19 hours of deliberation by a jury over two days.

Chritton, 41, of Madison, also was acquitted of one count of misdemeanor child neglect. But for Chritton, the case may be far from over.

The jury of 10 women and two men deadlocked on four other felony charges, meaning that Chritton could be retried on the charges at a later date.

District Attorney Ismael Ozanne was circumspect afterward when asked whether he would retry the charges, which include first-degree reckless endangerment, child abuse, false imprisonment and causing mental harm to a child. Ozanne said only that he is "looking to retry" the charges.

"The next case we have is Melinda Drabek’s, that’s our next concern," Ozanne said.

Ozanne was referring to Chritton’s wife, Melinda Drabek-Chritton, 43, whose trial on similar charges will begin April 8.

Chritton’s sentencing on the felony child neglect conviction would be held after trials for Drabek-Chritton and her son, Joshua Drabek, who is scheduled to be tried on sexual assault charges in June, and after a possible retrial of Chritton on the charges on which the jury was deadlocked.

The child neglect conviction carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and three years of extended supervision.

Chritton’s lawyer, William Hayes, said after the verdicts that he did not expect the jury to do what it did.

"I had no idea what the jury was going to do," he said. Hayes said he wasn’t happy with the result because his client was convicted of a crime. But he said he was grateful that the jurors took the time over the three-week trial to listen carefully to the evidence and give it careful consideration during deliberations.

Hayes said he assumed Ozanne would prosecute Chritton again, "and then we’ll just have to gear up and go through it again."

It was apparently a difficult deliberation for the jury. In notes to Dane County Circuit Judge Julie Genovese, the jury indicated that it was deadlocked within about an hour after deliberations started Thursday afternoon.

The jury went home about 12:45 a.m. Friday and returned about 10 a.m., and by about 7:50 p.m. jurors were asking whether they could go home and return Saturday for more deliberations. But asked by Genovese whether more deliberations were likely to break the deadlock, the jury answered "no."

At that point, Genovese brought the jury into the courtroom and read verdicts on two of the charges and declared mistrials on the other four charges. Jurors declined to comment on the deliberations after the verdicts were read.

Friday, March 15, 2013

This is what happens in a culture where fathers rights are institutionalized, and mothers have none. Even fathers with criminal records get complete control of the kids. Not one word here on what happened to this poor boy's mother. Typical in that the mother is erased...but this happens in stories about abusive/violent custodial fathers all the time. Dad is identified as NASIR. http://tribune.com.pk/story/520971/brutal-end-child-dies-from-fathers-beating/Brutal end: Child dies from father’s beating

By Our Correspondent

Published: March 15, 2013

MULTAN:
A ten year-old died on Wednesday from a beating by his father annoyed by his asking his stepmother for food.

Bharwaan Mai, Dilawar’s stepmother, told The Express Tribune that her husband, Nasir, wanted to be served dinner first. She said Dilawar began crying at this.

Nasir then began to beat him with a wooden rod until the boy fainted.

She said that Nasir then tried to revive the child and failing in the effort took the body to his father’s house in Sameej Abad colony before he fled. The deceased’s brother, Rawal, told his grandfather, Muhammad Ramazan what had happened. Ramazan then informed the police.

An FIR has been registered at the New Multan police station. Police said Nasir had a criminal record.

A lot is passed over in silence in this article. Like, what happened to this boy's mother? Is she alive, dead, "missing," what? Why is this boy in the custody of a drug-addicted, neglectful father? Did somebody in the court system grant him custody? If so, who? Why is this boy now with CPS and not with the mother?Dad is identified as CHAD STEVEN KISER. http://www.opposingviews.com/i/topsociety/ten-year-old-calls-911-after-dad-and-grandma-overdose-heroinTen-Year-Old Calls 911 After Dad and Grandma Overdose on Heroin

By Ashley Davis, Thu, March 14, 2013

A ten-year-old boy whose father and grandmother overdosed on heroin saved their lives by calling 911.

The child called police in New Brighton, Penn. after his father and grandmother collapsed from heroin.

Authorities arrived at the home to find Chad Steven Kiser, 34, unresponsive in the bathroom, and Ginger Ray Foust, 52, also unresponsive.

The boy first called to tell authorities that his father had collapsed, but he called back minutes later after his grandmother collapsed as well. She was trying to help Kiser.

Police said the mother and son were revived by medical personnel and are being charged with endangering the welfare of a child.

The child said the pair were trying to help each other overcome their drug addiction. He said they had tried to go to rehab before.

Authorities said there was no food in the apartment but found a pipe, scale, mirror and a silver tube for inhaling controlled substances.

(AP) - Child welfare workers investigated claims of violence and drug use at a Sacramento home three weeks before authorities said a 9-year-old boy was killed by his father with a hatchet.

While representatives from the Sacramento County Child Protective Services office confirmed drug use was going on at Matthew Hernandez' home during a Feb. 4 visit, they concluded the behavior did not warrant removing the boy and his older brother, the Sacramento Bee reported Thursday.

Despite the claim, the agency said, "The children do not appear to be in any imminent danger at this time."

Matthew's father, Phillip Hernandez, has been charged with murder in the boy's Feb. 26 slaying. The 36-year-old did not enter plea during his appearance in a Sacramento County courtroom Thursday.

He was jailed without bail and is due back in court April 12.

County records did not make clear the report whether the caregiver mentioned was Hernandez. County Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman Laura McCasland declined comment Thursday to The Associated Press on whether Hernandez is the caregiver cited in the report.

The report also does not mention who made the initial claims, but the boys' mother, Jessica Hernandez, told KCRA-TV that she called CPS on Feb. 4 and 5 to complain about the welfare of her children and to report that Philip Hernandez uses drugs, is violent and there were rifles inside his home.

Phillip Hernandez was convicted of domestic violence and served prison time from July 2006 to October 2007, according to state records.

The slain boy's 12-year-old brother is now in the custody of his mother, who divorced Phillip Hernandez and lives in Las Vegas, the newspaper said.

Authorities say officers found Matthew Hernandez dead from blunt-force trauma after his father allegedly had gone into the backyard to get a hatchet and, for unknown reasons, broke through a sliding glass door to get back inside.

The boy's great-grandmother who lives in the home heard the glass shatter, ran into the living room and found Hernandez standing over his sleeping son with the ax, authorities said.
The victim's brother, who was at home during the attack, was unharmed.

The county said in a written statement Thursday that it is working with law enforcement in the criminal investigation.